UCL Institute of Archaeology

Caerleon Roman Fortress

Investigation of Isca - Priory Field Excavations

Excavations in Priory Field, within the
walls of the legionary fortress at Caerleon, have been undertaken in 2007, 2008
and 2010, under the joint direction of Andrew Gardner (UCL) and Peter Guest
(Cardiff). The dig team has been mainly comprised of students from UCL and
Cardiff University, along with local volunteers and students from other
institutions.

The project is
an investigation of the remains of Isca, the Second Augustan Legion's
permanent fortress in Britain. Following on from trial excavations in 2007, in
2008 and 2010 the team have been excavating the remains of a monumental
courtyard building, probably Isca’s main warehouse where the supplies
and provisions needed by soldiers in the fortress were stored.

Results of the
2008 season primarily related to later Roman occupation on the site. This is a
little-understood phase in Caerleon’s history but the discovery of buildings
and extensive material culture of the 4th century will add significantly
to knowledge of the period. In 2010, the Roman store-building was thoroughly
examined, yielding extensive finds of Roman military equipment, including
remarkably well-preserved armour.

A further
element of the 2010 season was the excavation of two test-pits in the area of a
large monumental complex outside the fortress walls, newly discovered by
Cardiff University students undertaking geophysics training in 2010. This
revealed harbour facilities and may be crucial in planning future conservation and
research at Caerleon.

The
project has been extensively publicised, on the web (via a blog) and local and
national print and broadcast media. Public visits to the site were facilitated
throughout the excavations.